On hiatus

If you've been wondering why the lack of posts since the end of the year, or the reruns streaming on xrbradio.com, the answer is that yours truly has taken a hiatus from recording the show.

Thank you sincerely for all of your support throughout the year plus.  Hope to talk to you soon.

In the meantime, you can always go back and listen to any of the previous 55 shows.  They're all archived on the blog!

Oh no you didn't...

The NBC mikes were a long
way from the days of playing
vaudeville for Jim and Marian
Jordan (Fibber McGee & Molly).

Oh yes we did.  XRB Radio said we needed another day of Christmas extravaganza, and the OTR Express was more than willing to comply, with 2 more shows from the vaults.

The first is a Fibber McGee and Molly program.  If there is such a thing as a homespun literate comedy, it would be FM&M.  From the bustling metropolis of Peoria, IL, Jim and Marian Jordan (FM&M) created these characters; latching on with writer Don Quinn turned this into one of the longest-running and best-loved comedies of all time.  Some remember it for the closet gag, but it was so much more than that. 

A rare photo of John
Brown, star of The
Damon Runyon Theatre

This Christmas show is no different from the show's other offerings; a great litany of jokes and characters that the McGees run into on the way to the post office.

Our second helping is a Damon Runyon Theatre show, called Dancing Dan's Christmas.  This syndicated program offered dramatizations of some of author Damon Runyon's famous characters.  Maybe you've seen Guys & Dolls?  Then you've seen some of Runyon's characters.  I love the DRT, though I warn you, if you listen to too many of them, you start talking in "dems" and "dozes".

What do shoelaces and blindness have to do with Christmas?

Everything in this Christmas-themed episode of the Old Time Radio Express.  We chug back through history and view Christmas through two very different lenses.  One is more traditional, as we bring you a Jack Benny classic, as Jack debates what to buy for his cast for Christmas.

 

No dames were harmed
in the recording of this
radio program.  At least not
on Christmas.

The other is an example of how mystery and thriller programs celebrated a holiday that by its very nature seemed contrary to their blood curdling programming.  Some didn't even attempt to bridge the gap and continued with their straightforward mystery progamming.  Others made an effort, as you will see on this Mysterious Traveler episode, entitled "Christmas Story".  I think it's got enough of a mix between Christmas and mystery that a fan of either will appreciate it.

OTR did Christmas in such a big and spectacular way, that I have so much more to share with you.  Next week on the OTRExpress we'll stay in the spirit, despite what the calendar says.

Until then, happy eggnogging...

The Journalist and the Redhead

As funny as Lucy was on TV,
co-workers say that she
was awfully good at giving
them this look.  It was usually
followed by extensive cursing.

This week on the OTR Express, we hear the climax to the "My Favorite Husband" program.  (Or for those who grew up in the TV era - "That Old Radio Show That Sounds A Lot Like 'I Love Lucy'").  We'll also have some good discussions about how many similarities there really were between the two programs.

Then we'll hear a detective show that I stumbled across in the last couple of years, and has turned out to be one of my favorite detective shows, from the characterizations, to the acting, to the no-easy-way-out script.  Unfortunately, this show - "Crime on the Waterfront" - didn't last long enough to even use the verb "last"... after a pilot show, it never got picked up by the sponsors.  You'll have to listen in the to show to know whether the failure of this show ruined the career of its leading man.

Enjoy this week's old time radio!

What's Thanksgiving...

One avid listener sent this photo of herself,
after realizing that the much-anticipated
Thanksgiving episode was not to be.

...without a little snafu?  Your glamorous host sat in Studio C of the XRB Radio studios the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and recorded a beautiful show.  Unfortunately, what went out over the air was an Old Time Radio Express show from back in September.

But on the bright side, we get to all extend Thanksgiving for another week and soak up some more turkey-day OTR.  And your host gets a break this Sunday eve, as his work from last week is (should be) going out over the XRB airwaves.

Enjoy the fixin's!

Johnny Dollar, Schizophrenic

Edmond O'Brien shown in his
younger years, pre-Hollywood
success...

No offense, Johnny, but 6 different actors in 14 years (not counting the 2 audition shows by Dick Powell and Gerald Mohr)?  You had more personalities than Sybil.

This week, we compare 2 of the more famous Dollars - one by a Hollywood veteran who freelanced in radio (and did a better job of it than most movie actors can say) and one by a radio guy.

Edmond O'Brien, our Hollywood star (yes, he was a star back then), played in some of the great box office hits, like "White Heat" and "Wild Bunch" and some lesser-known gems, like "The Hitch-hiker". He also starred as Johnny Dollar for two years.  He was good, though Dollar didn't have a lot of character in his run.  

....and Mandel Kramer, shown much
later in life, in his TV years on
"The Guiding Light"

Exhibit B is Mandel Kramer.  Kramer, the radio guy, gave Dollar sort of a cheshire cat grin/devil may care attitude.  Kramer was allowed to have a little fun with the role, as folks were turning off their radios and turning on their televisions.  If no one's listening, you may as well enjoy yourself. 

Sounds like Kramer has adopted the motto of the Old Time Radio Express.  Hey, whichever one of my personalities said that, quiet down!

Old Time Radio Obscurities...

This week on the Old Time Radio Express, your host brings you a couple of old time radio related obscurities.

First is Words With Music, a show with words...and music.  In this episode, we hear "The Gift of the Magi".  It's an interesting story and presentation, and you'll learn a little about the story's author as well as confectionary history on the program.



The next obscurity is A Voice in the Night starring an "internationally famous stage, screen and supper club star".  I'll leaving you guessing as to who it is. 



Here's a hint of who your "Voice in the Night" star is...
What, still no idea?



It's a night of old time radio that even the most ardent OTR fan might not have heard before.  So click on the title above, and enjoy!

Criminals Beware...

For tonight, on the Old Time Radio Express, they will feel the sting of The Green Hornet...and be outsmarted by gentleman detective Philo Vance.

Just click on the title of this blog posting, for an hour's worth of old time radio.

The Green Hornet was once billed as the crime fighter who took down criminals that "even the G-Men couldn't catch".  G-Men, a forerunner of the FBI, didn't take too kindly to the perception that there were criminals that would elude them, so the intro changed.  However, the Hornet's effectiveness was not diminished.

This week, we have "The Hornet Does It", in which the Hornet is framed for a hijacking he didn't commit.

On Philo Vance, the organist gets a workout, as this program lives up to all the cliches of an old radio detective show (sharp organ interludes, a detective whose every deduction is spot on, cops that are incredibly daft, and the obvious suspects never being guilty).   And yet, "The Green Girls Murder Case" is just as enjoyable as it must have been when it was broadcast back in 1949.  Enjoy, and check back next week for more great old time radio...

The War of the Worlds - A Halloween Classic

No, it's not the 2005 Spielberg movie starring Tom Cruise.  Nor is it the 1953 version starring Ray Bradbury.  Nor is it even a very faithful adaptation of the 1898 H.G. Wells novel.

No, this is the Mercury Theatre on the Air's original vision of "The War of the Worlds".  To understand the impact it had on American society, take a listen to last week's show after you hear this one. 

So, in what has become tradition - we celebrate Halloween by playing "The War of the Worlds", starring Orson Welles and his Mercury players, on the Old Time Radio Express.

Mercury Month - Week #4

Welles at his craft

This week we focus on the great man himself, the man who brought all the other players of the Mercury together - Orson Welles.

I do not suppose I shall be remembered for anything. But I don't think about my work in those terms. It is just as vulgar to work for the sake of posterity as to work for the sake of money.  - Orson Welles

Welles made his mark on old time radio before flitting off the Hollywood to capture America's imagination on film.  In this broadcast, we have him in a comedic role, guest starring on the Fred Allen Show.  Welles could do comedy just fine, thank you, as he even had a run as fill-in for Jack Benny when Benny was out sick for a 4 week stretch in the 1942-3 season.

I passionately hate the idea of being with it; I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time. - Orson Welles

And out of step he was, as we'll see next week on the Old Time Radio Express, when we play that instant classic - The War of the Worlds.  After the Fred Allen Show, we get you all prepared for everything you'll need next week.

Nobody who takes on anything big and tough can afford to be modest. - Orson Welles

And modest he was not.  As I'm sure he would have told you.

Mercury Month - Week #3



The Old Time Radio Express rolls out of the station tonight with two more shows featuring the talents of members of the Mercury Theatre troupe - George Coulouris and Edgar Barrier.

Coulouris is great in the WWII thriller,
"Watch on the Rhine", with Bette
Davis and Paul Muni.

Coulouris plays the title role in the B-grade detective show, Bulldog Drummond.  Despite the fact that Drummond ran for 8+ years, it is much less remembered nowadays than The Adventures of Sam Spade or The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.  The preservation of the majority of those shows on tape probably has a lot to do with it.

The film noir, "Cornered"
is on DVD and features
Edgar Barrier along with
crooner turned dramatic actor
Dick Powell.

Barrier and his distinctive voice narrate a "documentary" on the Pacific situation during WWII.  It's an interesting bit of radio, but if it's a documentary, then the term is used very loosely.

Enjoy! 

Mercury Month - Week #2

Bea Benaderet and Ray Collins are our featured Mercury players this week on the OTR Express.

Benaderet is featured in an early episode of The Great Gildersleeve on this week's show.  She also had a role as Gertrude Gearshift, a telephone operator who gave Jack Benny fits on The Jack Benny Show.  There, she met her second husband, Eugene Twombly, who was the sound effects man.  Sadly, after Benaderet died in 1968, Twombly died on the day of her funeral - four days after her death. 

Ray Collins was at his best playing the white collar heavy on film - the man whose voice threatened violence, but who would never carry out the dirty work himself.  On this program from Suspense called "Marry for Murder", he plays quite a different role, and one that shows his versatility.  I don't know why, but I had to pick one actor from Mercury who you might call Welles' right hand man, I would pick Ray Collins.

Sit back and enjoy these two greats! 

Mercury Month - Week #1

It's Mercury Month on the Old Time Radio Express.  It's a celebration of that crucible of acting talent known as the Mercury Theatre on the Air.  Under the thumb direction of the great Orson Welles, this troupe created one of the most famous radio plays of all time - The War of the Worlds.  Individually, the cast had success as well.

This week we feature shows starring two of the more famous Mercury players, Agnes Moorehead and Everett Sloane.

Moorehead may be best known for her role as Endora on "Bewitched", but she conquered just about every medium she tackled.  She was a superb radio actress, and an equally good film star, garnering 4 Academy Award nominations.  (Though not one of her most famous, try her in "Dark Passage" to see her at her scheming best. Bogie and Bacall ain't bad either...)

Sloane had a fine radio career, with weekly roles on some of the best shows of the era - The Shadow, Cavalcade of America, and Inner Sanctum Mysteries.  If you want to get a glimpse of Sloane on the screen, he has a wonderful role in The Lady From Shanghai.  (And Rita Hayworth ain't too bad to look at either...)

The Adventures of Nero Wolfe and The Strange Dr. Weird

Sydney Greenstreet played Nero Wolfe
for one season on radio.

This week we feature a detective who was, at one point, voted as a finalist for best detective in an ongoing series - Nero Wolfe.  (He ultimately lost to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot).

The creation of a Noblesville, Indiana author, whose "Some Buried Caesar" Nero Wolfe mystery was named Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library's choice for "One Book, One City", Nero Wolfe was a corpulent, orchid-loving "foodie" who disliked leaving his comfortable, custom-made armchair, even to solve cases.

Wolfe came to radio at least 3 different times, none of which author Rex Stout particularly cared for.  (This was typical of the detective writers of the time.  Others like Hammett and Chandler were only loosely associated with the productions of the Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe series, associating their names with the programs for the sake of royalty checks, but otherwise despising the writing and, occasionally, the acting). 

But of the Wolfes to be on the air, Stout most enjoyed the characterization of the star we hear from this week - Sydney Greenstreet. 

Stick around after the Nero Wolfe episode for a nice Strange Dr. Weird mystery called "When Killers Meet".

A Look Back at History, OTR Style

Edward Arnold played Mr. President
on radio, but left his mark
primarily in film, starring in
pictures like "Meet John Doe"
and "You Can't Take It With You". 

This week on the Old Time Radio Express, we present a couple of historical events - one fictional, and two non-fictional.

First off is Mr. President, an historical drama which each week detailed an event - sometimes important, sometimes quite unimportant - from a U.S. President's life.  Esteemed actor Edward Arnold played the President every week, whose identity was kept secret until the end of the broadcast.  See if you can't guess this week's President, who is struggling to avoid letting the U.S. get pulled into war.

Speaking of war, we have an interesting soundbite from World War II, as might have been heard by our fighting forces in the Pacific.

And we've got another special treat - what I would argue might be the most famous radio news broadcast ever.  Disagree?  Feel free to leave comments on the blog!

Radio's Clown Prince and A Look Forward to Baseball in the 1990's

Yes, you read the headline correctly.  We look forward to 1990's baseball this week on the OTR Express.

But first, we have a fun show from Red Skelton, he of the many characters. 

If this photo doesn't tell you everything you need to know about Red Skelton, I don't know what will.

Then, we take a hard left and listen to one of my favorite radio programs of all time - X Minus One.  X Minus One could be counted on consistently to stretch the listener's imagination, and this week is no different. 

Though considerably less "heavy" than normal X Minus One material, "Martian Sam" gives us a prediction of what baseball will be like 40 years in the future...in the far off distance of the 1990's.  In one aspect, the show gets it right...teams were looking for any advantage they could get.

Except instead of Martian pitchers named Sam with long arms, they had Earthmen sluggers named Barry and Sammy with big heads.... 

Sam's home planet.

Show #42 - Singer, Comedian, Newscaster and Superhero

Yep, we have it all here this week on the OTR Express.  Dennis Day kicks off the program with his eponymous sitcom, alternatively titled, A Day in the Life of Dennis Day.

A Day in the Life of Dennis Day gave the boyish sounding Day a chance to showcase his vocal and comedic talents, and the show we picked out for you this week has no fewer than 3 songs performed by Day.

The comedy is purely of the situational variety, but that doesn't make it bad. 

We then turn  our attention to the news of the day, with a radio broadcast from H.V. Kaltenborn.  If you watch any news commentary shows nowadays, then you'll see the descendants of the Kaltenborn school of broadcasting.  A very interesting man, and you can read more about him here:  http://www.otr.com/kaltenborn.shtml

Lastly, we have the national debut of Captain Midnight.  'Nuff said.  So gather round the radio, gang, (after drinking some rich chocolately Ovaltine, of course), and enjoy a night of old time radio.

Show #41 - Escape and Frontier Gentleman

This week on the Old Time Radio Express we explore great radio dramatic writing.  The first is an adaptation of an Arthur Conan Doyle tale that even the most ardent Conan Doyle fans may not be aware of.  The second is an original tale from the pen of Antony Ellis, a veteran radio man.

In addition to stellar writing, both shows take us back in time, as Escape's production of the Conan Doyle tale is set in England of about a century ago, and the Frontier Gentleman series is set in the Wild West of our America.

Interestingly enough, the lead in the Escape program we have for you tonight auditioned for, and almost won, the role of J.B. Kendall, main character in Frontier Gentleman - a role that ended up going to John Dehner.  As it is, Dehner has a small role on the Escape program. 

As it is, Dehner is credited with some 850+ radio appearances, and Wright some 650+.  Both pretty impressive resumes. 

So not only do you get good writing, but some darn good acting today...enjoy....

The Abbott and Costello Show and The Bickersons

“C, A-M, E-L, S” Yes, that spells CAMELS, which sponsored the Abbott and Costello Show, which we have for you tonight on the OTR Express.  Enjoy the old commercials - but not too much - we don't want you to blame old time radio for a new bad habit.

Listening to cigarette commercials - which many have never heard live - is certainly an experience.  Maybe you don't realize it when you're in the moment, but marketing for products seems so...well...made up.  The makers of Camel Cigarettes invented the "T-Zone", and all of a sudden, smokers were buying cartons of Camels because of "T for taste" and "T for throat".

Between commercials, there's a nice Abbott and Costello Show that you should find enjoyable.  It's perfect light and mindless summer entertainment.

And then at the end of the show we switch from male comedy duo to a male-female comedy duo, with the battlin' Bickersons, with another classic routine.

Two completely different types of comedy shows, but both marked by great writing and better comedic timing. 

AFRS workaround







Wartime theme- think about old shirts and Walmart culture

Adventures by Morse - Conclusion to "A Coffin For the Lady"

We end the suspense this week on The OTR Express with the concluding chapter of ‘‘A Coffin for the Lady’’ on Adventures by Morse. We end the suspense this week on The OTR Express with the concluding chapter of “A Coffin for the Lady” on Adventures by Morse. What nefarious plot is Obbit up to? Can Captain Friday stop it? How does Judith Wright fit into all of this?

All those questions are answered in the first half of the show this week – yes, we’re nice enough to not keep you in suspense for the whole hour.

But you’ll want to stick around for our second offering – it’s a bit of forgotten, but inspiring American history.