The Chronic Rift Network
A collection of podcasts exploring the culture in pop culture. Our shows range from the general (flagship show The Chronic Rift) to the specific (The Batcave Podcast). We look at literature (Dead Kitchen Radio), movies (The Weekly Podioplex), family (Generations Geek), gaming (The Cardboard Jungle), and more.
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 197: BOB HOPE & INFORMATION PLEASE
02/12/2024
Presenting the Transcription Feature 197: BOB HOPE & INFORMATION PLEASE
We start off tonight with an episode of “The Bob Hope Show.” It’s December of 1945, and the war is over. Hope had spent much of it broadcasting from military bases, but now he is back at the NBC studios in Hollywood. His guest, Jimmy Durante, promises to take Bob to a swanky party, but is Bob ready for Society, and vice-versa? Then, time for that excellent quiz show, “Information Please.” It’s an Armed Forces recording, which means the original was transcribed and then all the ads were taken out. Are you up on literary in-laws, animal gestation periods, and places to climb? Episodes The Bob Hope Show December 4, 1945 “Guest: Jimmy Durante” 3:48 Information Please April 24, 1944 “Guests: Deems Taylor and Irene Dunne” 35:02
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 196: THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR
01/01/2024
Presenting the Transcription Feature 196: THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR
For our New Year’s treat, here’s “The Lux Radio Theater” adaptation of the classic 1947 film “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.” The film is an unconventional romance of sorts starring Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney as the title characters. She’s a vibrant young widow, and he’s the ghost of a rollicking sea captain. The captain isn’t French, so I’m not sure why they cast Charles Boyer in the role, except that he does have sonorous voice. Madeleine Carroll takes on Tierney’s role. Episode The Lux Radio Theater December 1, 1947 “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” 2:30
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 195: AUTHOR'S PLAYHOUSE & JACK BENNY
12/23/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 195: AUTHOR'S PLAYHOUSE & JACK BENNY
More Christmas here on “Presenting the Transcription Feature.” “Author’s Playhouse” was an anthology radio drama that ran from 1941 to 1945 on various networks. It featured adaptations of popular short stories by authors like James Thurber, W.W. Jacobs, and, in this case, O. Henry. The story you are about to hear first appeared in his 1907 collection “Heart of the West,” a collection of western tales. Here, the setting is a mining town during the gold rush, and I love the incredibly ornate way the miners speak. Reminds me of “Guys and Dolls.” Then we finish off with “The Jack Benny Special Christmas Show,” a 40-minute-long special that Jack did in the mid-1950s. It’s got all the usual holiday high jinks plus some special guest stars. Episodes Author’s Playhouse December 21, 1941 “Christmas By Injunction” 2:04 “The Jack Benny Special Christmas Show” December 2, 1956 32:03
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 194: BURNS AND ALLEN & THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE
12/09/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 194: BURNS AND ALLEN & THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE
Welcome to December on “Presenting the Transcription Feature.” That means Christmas-themed episodes all month. We’ll start off with George Burns and Gracie Allen in the eponymous “The Burns and Allen Show.” Christmas is fast approaching, and George has no idea what to get his wife. Then “The Great Gildersleeve” himself is in a very good mood as he goes holiday shopping and plans a party for friends and family. Episodes The Burns and Allen Show December 18, 1947 “Gracie’s Last Minute Christmas Gift” 2:32 The Great Gildersleeve December 24, 1944 “Twas the Night Before Christmas” 34:05
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 193: THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR & SAM SPADE
11/23/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 193: THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR & SAM SPADE
“The Couple Next Door” was one of the many 15-minutes-a day, five-days a week programs that used to fill the airwaves. It was, like “Vic and Sade” a show about “nothing.” It lacks the absurdism of “Vic and Sade,” and that may have made it easier for its audience to relate to. The show was the creation of one woman, Peg Lynch, who wrote and co-starred in every episode. Tonight, we present two representative episodes depicting late 1950s suburban American life. Then, who better to spend Thanksgiving with than the hard-boiled cast of “The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective”? Someone is trying to kill a man -- a man named Tom Turkey. Episodes The Couple Next Door January 27, 1958 “Is The Couple Married” October 3, 1960 “Living Room Wired For Stereo” 4:10 The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective November 24, 1950 “The Terrified Turkey Caper” 33:35
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 192: JACK BENNY & SUSPENSE
10/30/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 192: JACK BENNY & SUSPENSE
It’s Halloween, and what says spooky goings-on more than … Jack Benny. Tonight, we have two episodes of very different shows, but both starring Jack Benny. We start off with “The Jack Benny Program.” Everyone is invited to Jack’s house for a Halloween party. There’s crazy costumes, disappointing food and drink, and lots of jokes about the bygone days of vaudeville. Then Jack takes a dramatic turn playing a mild-mannered piano tuner who stumbles into the worlds of theft and murder on “Suspense.” Episodes The Jack Benny Program November 3, 1940 “Jack’s Halloween Party” 3:21 Suspense April 5, 1951 “Murder in G Flat” 33:18
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 191: THE HALLS OF IVY & OUR MISS BROOKS
08/20/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 191: THE HALLS OF IVY & OUR MISS BROOKS
It’s back-to-school time on this episode of “Presenting the Transcription Feature.” And we all need to laugh, so here’s two comedy episodes. First, we’ll visit Ivy College, where the mellifluous British actor Ronald Colman and his real-life wife, the equally mellifluous Benita Hume, star as “The Halls of Ivy.” He is the president of one of those small Midwestern colleges that predominated in movies and radio shows of the era. She, his wife, who has given up her career on the stage to be his helpmeet. This episode, while full of laughs, has a lot of heart too. The show’s dialog is informed and witty – as befits Colman’s always-sophisticated persona, and “The Halls of Ivy” even won a Peabody Award in 1950. Then we drop in on high school to see “Our Miss Brooks.” Here, Eve Arden plans a relaxing pre-return-to-work picnic. But those plans soon go awry. This episode starts off a little silly. There’s the sit-com trope of people pretending to be other people, but, as we approach the end, it really pays off hilariously. Plus, you get Gale Gordon and Frank Nelson in one episode. Episodes The Halls of Ivy March 19, 1952 “The Oldest Living Graduate” 2:35 Our Miss Brooks September 11, 1949 “The School Board” aka “Head of the Board” 28:23
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The Hornet's Sting: "Hornet, Save Thyself"
08/09/2023
The Hornet's Sting: "Hornet, Save Thyself"
"HORNET, SAVE THYSELF"AIRED: MARCH 3, 1967 Britt is accused of murder after he kills a former employee in a room full of witnesses. Now, he must break ranks with Scanlon and go rogue as the Hornet in order to prove his innocence. John and Jim use this episode as an example of a point they've been making since the very beginning of the podcast, the missed potential in only making these episodes thirty minutes in length. Despite this, one of the two ranks this episode as one of the best in the series, plus Jim does a wicked impression of Roger Corby from Star Trek. Take a listen and then let us know what you think of the episode by writing us here or at .
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The Batcave Podcast: Episode 74 - "Bubi, Bubi, Who's Got the Ruby?" & "1001 Faces of the Riddler"
08/04/2023
The Batcave Podcast: Episode 74 - "Bubi, Bubi, Who's Got the Ruby?" & "1001 Faces of the Riddler"
"Bubi, Bubi, Who's Got the Ruby?" & "1001 Faces of the Riddler"Aired October 12, 1968 Catwoman and Penguin are at odds over a priceless ruby and the Terrific Trio are caught in the middle in our two-part story review. Next, Riddler is back in town and he's using disguises to throw the Dynamic Duo off his trail even more so than his riddles. In addition, John and Dan Greenfield, creator and author of the Comment on the episode here or write
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Shazam/Isis Podcast: Jack Harris
08/02/2023
Shazam/Isis Podcast: Jack Harris
Episode 44 Jack C. Harris With the conclusion of our reviews of DC Comics' 1977 run of The Mighty Isis comic series, we're proud to present our interview with The Mighty Isis writer Jack C. Harris. Harris talks with us about how he got the assignment to write the book, the abrupt cancellation, and his plans with the series had it moved forward. Plus, we talk Kamandi and Captain Marvel in this all new episode.
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 190: YOU BET YOUR LIFE & X MINUS ONE
07/28/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 190: YOU BET YOUR LIFE & X MINUS ONE
We’ll start off tonight with The One, The Only, Groucho! on “You Bet Your Life.” Tonight, Groucho Marx interviews the usual assortment of unusual high school students, assistant district attorneys, housewives, and are dog trainers that different from piano teachers? Then on Old Time Radio’s premier science fiction anthology program, “X Minus One,” comes an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s "C-Chute.” It was first published in the October 1951 issue of “Galaxy” magazine. It’s a study in racism, patriotism, and the folly of war. Episodes You Bet Your LifeFebruary 22, 1950 “The Secret Word is ‘Table’” 2:20 X Minus OneFebruary 8, 1956 "C-Chute” 32:42
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 189: FAMILY THEATER & OUR MISS BROOKS
07/03/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 189: FAMILY THEATER & OUR MISS BROOKS
For the Fourth of July, we’re going to present two Independence Day-themed episodes of classic old time radio. First drama then comedy. “Family Theater” was a family-friendly anthology show featuring a mix of original stories and adaptations of literary classics, usually starring big names from Hollywood. This week’s program is a dramatization of a particular moment in history -- the writing of The Declaration of Independence. It’s narrated by Loretta Young and stars Robert Stack as Thomas Jefferson. And, if you are a fan of the musical “1776,” note what’s the same in this adaptation and what’s different. Then on “Our Miss Brooks,” our intrepid heroine plans to meet her boyfriend in the countryside for the 4th of July weekend. Episodes Family Theater July 1, 1953 “The Longest Hour” 2:42 Our Miss Brooks July 3, 1949 “July 4th Trip to Eagle Springs” aka “Conklin’s Blood Pressure” 26:03
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 188: ROGERS OF THE GAZETTE & LUM AND ABNER
06/17/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 188: ROGERS OF THE GAZETTE & LUM AND ABNER
It’s summer time, and I want to present a couple of summer-themed and summer-adjacent radio shows. We’ll start off with real American politician, writer, and newspaper publisher Will Rogers, Jr playing a fictional Will Rogers, Jr who runs the fictional small-town newspaper, the “Illyria Weekly Gazette.” What else says summer more than a county fair, with lots of people partaking in various competitions? Well, this year, the ladies of Illyria have decided not to participate. Whither the jams, jellies, and pickles? Then, I finally get around to presenting “Lum and Abner.” The show was created by, and stars, Chester Lauck as Lum and Norris Goff as Abner, the owners of the financially disastrous Jot ‘Em Down general store. The show was a 15-minute continuing serial, a comedy soap opera. In both of tonight’s episodes, the boys are planning vacations. Episodes Rogers of the Gazette October 22, 1953 “Eula Horner and the County Fair” 2:27 Lum and Abner September 8, 1942 “Back to Nature” aka “Vacation” 34:10 July 19, 1945 “Store Closed for Vacation” 46:17
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 187: RAFFLES
05/30/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 187: RAFFLES
The character of A.J. Raffles was created by E.W. Hornung in 1898. Hornung was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brother-in-law, and he was inspired to write about a sort of anti-Sherlock Holmes. His Raffles is thief, to be sure, but one who was charming. Raffles an “an amateur cracksman,” who lives the life of a gentleman. But if you don’t actually have an independent income, you have to be able to finance your lifestyle somehow. “Screen Directors’ Playhouse” adapted popular films to radio, often with the movie’s same stars and directors. There had been several silent film adaptations of Hornung’s tales, as well as a 1930 film starring Ronald Colman and a 1939 film starring David Niven. This broadcast adapts the 1939 film and features the equally suave-voiced Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Episode Screen Directors’ Playhouse September 14, 1951 “Raffles” 3:30
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 186: COLLEGE QUIZ BOWL & BOBBY BENSON
05/14/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 186: COLLEGE QUIZ BOWL & BOBBY BENSON
We begin with the “College Quiz Bowl,” as students from Tulane go up against their counterparts from Northwestern. As always, some of the topics are very specific to the day, but we 21st Century residents should still be able to answer quite a lot. Are you up on the names of pop culture family members, Winston Churchill’s writings, and tea in the news? Then, we return to the contemporary (1950s, as opposed to the “old”) west with the adventures of “Bobby Benson and the B Bar B Riders.” This Western centered on a 12-year-old boy who had inherited a Texas cattle ranch, and was packed with rustlers, cattle drives, and all the usual things American kids of the 1950s would have enjoyed. This particular episode features action, mysticism, and a couple of moral lessons. Episodes College Quiz Bowl October 24, 1953 “Tulane vs Northwestern” 2:25 Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B RidersNovember 17, 1951“The Lost Tribe”35:46
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 185: LEAVE IT TO JEEVES & X MINUS ONE
04/26/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 185: LEAVE IT TO JEEVES & X MINUS ONE
“Forecast” was a radio show specifically designed to try out new shows. Both “Suspense” and “Duffy’s Tavern” got their starts there. Tonight, we present the pilot for a show I would have absolutely loved had it gone to series, but alas it did not. “Leave It To Jeeves,” was inspired by the P.G. Wodehouse tales of young man-about-town Bertie Wooster and his personal gentleman’s gentleman, Jeeves. Starring Edward Everett Horton and Alan Mobray, respectively, this tale doesn’t actually adapt any of the Wodehouse tales, but it does take the structure and pay homage to the sort of situations in which Bertie and Jeeves were always finding themselves: engagements, errands for aunts… Any Wodehouse fan will be at home in this comic, twisty misadventure. Then “X Minus One” adapts Murray Leinster’s science fiction tale of time travel by phone call, “Sam, This Is You.” Episodes Forecast August 12, 1940 “Leave It To Jeeves” 2:49 X Minus One October 31, 1956 “Sam, This Is You” 34:18
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 184: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
04/08/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 184: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
Tonight, we return to Orson Welles’ “The Mercury Theatre on the Air.” In this adaptation of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days,” Welles plays British gentleman adventurer Phileas Fogg, who has wagered his personal fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just that time. Filled with fantastic music by Bernard Herrmann, top-notch sound effects, and a great supporting cast, Welles does the tale proud. Episode The Mercury Theatre on the Air October 23, 1938 "Around the World in 80 Days” 3:28
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 183: NERO WOLFE & JACK BENNY
03/26/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 183: NERO WOLFE & JACK BENNY
Nero Wolfe, the brilliant, but lazy, detective created by Rex Stout, famously almost never left his house. One of the few things that could stir him was his love of orchids. In tonight’s episode of “The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe,” starring Sydney Greenstreet, it is indeed some of those lovely plants that draw him into a murder at a flower shop. Then on “The Jack Benny Program,” Jack and the gang are planning to take the train to New York … if their adventures at the station don’t derail them first. Episodes The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe December 29, 1950 “The Case of The Bashful Body” 1:42 The Jack Benny Program February 21, 1954 “Jack At the Train Station” aka “Train Trip to New York” 31:58
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 182: SUSPENSE & INFORMATION PLEASE
03/11/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 182: SUSPENSE & INFORMATION PLEASE
We start off tonight with an episode of “Suspense” that isn’t all that suspenseful, i.e. spooky. But it’s a lot of fun. “The Lost Special” is based on a non-Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which first appeared in “” in August, 1898. Orson Welles narrates. This is an Armed Forces Radio rebroadcast, which means the ads have been taken out. It was played overseas for US troops. Then, our guests on tonight’s episode of the quiz show “Information Please” are science popularizer Bernard Jaffe and … Harpo Marx? Yes. The show revels in the sheer novelty of having Harpo, the one Marx Brother who doesn’t speak, on a panel, and he still manages be witty and delightful. Episodes Suspense September 30, 1943“The Lost Special”2:04 Information PleaseOctober 25, 1938 “Guests: Bernard Jaffe and Harpo Marx”33:18
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 181: MR AND MRS NORTH & FIBBER MCGEE AND MOLLY
02/20/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 181: MR AND MRS NORTH & FIBBER MCGEE AND MOLLY
We start off tonight with a murder as investigated by those charming amateur sleuths, “Mr. and Mrs. North.” Then we get seasonal with “Fibber McGee and Molly,” as Fibber attempts to celebrate Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras) by serving his wife a pancake breakfast in bed. Episodes Mr. and Mrs. NorthSeptember 1, 1953“No Vacation From Murder”1:35 Fibber McGee and Molly Pancake DayFebruary 26, 195227:54
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 180: SUSPENSE & LIFE WITH LUIGI
01/20/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 180: SUSPENSE & LIFE WITH LUIGI
This late January marks both the birth and death of actor J. Carrol Naish, who was born on January 21, 1896 and died just shortly after his 77th birthday on January 24, 1973. Naish received two Oscar nominations for his supporting roles in the films “Sahara” (1943) and “A Medal for Benny” (1945), the latter of which also earned him a Golden Globe. But he also had an extensive radio career. Most prominently, he was the star of “Life With Luigi,” which cast him as a naïve Italian immigrant, Luigi Basco. For all its stereotypes, and – because it was a comedy, its exaggerations – the series reflected the affection immigrants held for their new nation and home. “Life With Luigi” is ultimately about making a new life in a land of infinite possibilities, and the desire to truly integrate one’s self into the best of American culture. Tonight, we present two very different performances by Nash. The first is someone the polar opposite of the sweet Luigi. In this episode of “Suspense,” Naish plays a conniving, murderous husband. Will crime pay? Then on “Life With Luigi,” our hero’s quest to become a citizen is thwarted by his countryman, Pasquale (played by Fred Flintstone himself, Alan Reed). Episodes Suspense August 1, 1946 “Commuter’s Ticket” 2:44 Life With Luigi January 10, 1950 “Luigi’s First Citizenship Papers" 32:41
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 179: THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
01/01/2023
Presenting the Transcription Feature 179: THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
I like to start off the new year with these adaptations by “The Lux Radio Theater.” Tonight, Leslie Howard reprises his 1934 starring role as the original secret identity hero, “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” Here, Olivia de Havilland plays his wife. A year later, the two would appear as husband and wife again, in “Gone with the Wind,” as Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton. Radio lends itself well to “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” which began life as a 1903 play, and so, from the start, has always relied heavily on dialog. Episode The Lux Radio Theater December 12, 1938 “The Scarlet Pimpernel” 2:40
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 178: THIS IS YOUR FBI & JACK BENNY
12/23/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 178: THIS IS YOUR FBI & JACK BENNY
Here’s two more Christmas episodes to round out this December. We’ll start off with a drama, then some comedy. “This Is Your FBI” ran on ABC radio from April of 1945 to January of 1953. It dramatized real cases from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No less than the head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, praised the show, calling it “the finest dramatic program on the air.” Then for comedy, who else but the crew from “The Jack Benny Program.” This episode is from December 1937. The show had been on the air for five years, and this is the first of what would become a regular holiday feature, Jack going Christmas shopping. It doesn’t feature Jack being indecisive over a gift, which I always thought they overused, but it does have the usual stable of crazy fellow shoppers and employees, including Frank Nelson as the floorwalker. Episodes This Is Your FBI December 24, 1948 “The Return of St. Nick” 2:18 Jack Benny December 12, 1937 “Christmas Shopping” 33:41
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 177: CANDY MATSON & OUR MISS BROOKS.
12/09/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 177: CANDY MATSON & OUR MISS BROOKS.
All December it’s Christmas episodes on “PTTF.” We’ll start off tonight with a mystery and then a comedy. These Christmas episodes are from the same year, and, as it happens, only one day apart. First up, we hear from that sultry-voiced PI, “Candy Matson.” Then we’ll see what Eve Arden as “Our Miss Brooks” has planned for Christmas. Episodes Candy Matson December 19, 1949 “Jack Frost” 2:40 Our Miss Brooks December 18, 1949 “A Letter to Santa” 32:27
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 176: JEFF REGAN & MY FRIEND IRMA
11/23/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 176: JEFF REGAN & MY FRIEND IRMA
As we approach Thanksgiving, we’re going to start off with a Turkey Day-themed crime drama and then then a comedy. “Jeff Regan, Investigator” starred Jack Webb as a private investigator working for the International Detective Bureau. The show just barely pre-dates “Dragnet,” and Webb’s Regan is even drier in delivery than Joe Friday, and more sarcastically verbose. In tonight’s episode, he’s dispatched to retrieve a turkey from a mysterious estate, and finds murder and mayhem. Then “My Friend Irma” was one of those radio comedies that spawned a whole franchise. The series centers on the comic mis-adventures of two single girls sharing an apartment in the big city. Each episode is narrated by the bright, reliable Jane Stacy. It’s never long before her friend and roommate, the pretty, but scatterbrained, Irma Peterson, gets everyone into some sort of wacky situation. This time, it’s planning a Thanksgiving dinner. Episodes Jeff Regan, Investigator November 20, 1948 “The Pilgrim’s Progress” 2:38 My Friend Irma November 15, 1948 “Thanksgiving Turkey” aka “Thanksgiving is Approaching” 33:54
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 175: INFORMATION PLEASE & DUFFY'S TAVERN
10/30/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 175: INFORMATION PLEASE & DUFFY'S TAVERN
It’s a Karloff-fest tonight as we prepare to celebrate Halloween. We start off with an episode of “Information Please” that originally aired on Christmas Eve, but features Boris Karloff as one of the guests. Are you up on literary skulls, crossers of the English Channel, and poems that feature murder? Then Boris drops by “Duffy’s Tavern” in an effort to scare off a potential buyer. Episodes Information Please December 24, 1945 “Guests: John Mason Brown and Boris Karloff” 2:00 Duffy’s Tavern October 5, 1951 “Duffy Wants to Sell the Tavern” 32:17
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 174: BROADWAY IS MY BEAT and THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE
10/15/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 174: BROADWAY IS MY BEAT and THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE
We start off tonight with an episode of “Broadway Is My Beat.” If you think the sophisticated avenues of Time Square to Columbus Circle are free from murder and crime, you’re dead wrong. It’s “the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world." “Broadway Is My Beat” ran from February of 1949 to August of 1954 on CBS. For most of that run, it starred Larry Thor as New York City detective Danny Clover, whose assigned “beat” was the theater district. Not that that made his job any easier. Then we drop in on “The Great Gildersleeve.” Tonight, Gildy stumbles upon the upcoming wedding of a young lady and Marine about to ship out. They just want a nice, quiet, simple wedding. Of course, that soon balloons into … well, you can guess. This is actually a very sweet story with some really good laughs. And we get to hear Lillian Randolph as Birdie sing. That’s always a treat. Episodes Broadway Is My Beat February 17, 1950 “Dion Hartley” 3:44 The Great Gildersleeve May 27, 1953 “Witness at the Wedding” 33:33
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 173: JOHNNY DOLLAR and SUSPENSE
09/30/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 173: JOHNNY DOLLAR and SUSPENSE
Sixty years ago today, September 30, 1962, is the date generally accepted as the end of the Golden Age of Radio. On the same night, the final episodes of “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” and “Suspense” were broadcast. “Johnny Dollar” after 13 years and “Suspense” after 20 years. I couldn’t let that pass without observing it by presenting those two final episodes. Don’t worry, those shows will appear again on this show. Episodes Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar September 30, 1962 “The Tip-Off Matter” 2:40 Suspense September 30, 1962 “Devilstone” 26:52
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 172: ELLERY QUEEN & THE COLLGE QUIZ BOWL
09/16/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 172: ELLERY QUEEN & THE COLLGE QUIZ BOWL
We start off tonight by trying to match wits with that amateur detective who’s also a mystery writer, the eponymous star of “The Adventures of Ellery Queen.” This episode is another twisty one of multiple murders that requires you to really pay attention. Then on “The College Quiz Bowl,” the best brains of Washington and Lee University go up against The University of Pittsburgh. Although the material is from 70 years ago, this episode is packed with lots of questions that even we 21st century listeners should be able to answer and have fun with. Are you up on types of nuts, adjectives from literature, and the finer points of women’s clothing? Episodes The Adventures of Ellery Queen November 7, 1945 “The Message in Red” 1:41 The College Quiz Bowl March 21, 1954 “Washington & Lee University vs The University of Pittsburgh” 32:17
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Presenting the Transcription Feature 171: THE LONE RANGER & JACK BENNY.
09/02/2022
Presenting the Transcription Feature 171: THE LONE RANGER & JACK BENNY.
Let’s begin tonight with another thrilling story of the masked rider of justice, “The Lone Ranger.” We always think of the Lone Ranger as a hero, but to the people of the Old West, he was “The Masked Man,” a character a little more morally ambiguous. Tonight, he and Tonto go up against bureaucracy and marauding outlaws hiding in the hills. Then on “The Jack Benny Program,” it’s the first show of the new season. Everyone has been off, and they haven’t seen each other all summer. Jack has just arrived home from three weeks’ vacation in Hawaii and is anxious to get together with his friends. Episodes The Lone Ranger April 22, 1938 “Murder of Pony Express Rider” 1:47 The Jack Benny Program September 13, 1953 “Back From Vacation in Hawaii” 32:47
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