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!

Show #27 The Adventures of Ellery Queen & Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

Detective, author, anthologist, inspiration for a magazine, movie star, radio star...who else could we be talking about but the renowned Ellery Queen?  Ellery Queen got his start in detective novels, as both the author (a pseudonym for 2 cousins) and detective in "The Roman Hat Mystery", published in 1929.  From there, Queen's star shone, and continues to shine today.  Yes, you can still subscribe to "The Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine".

We enjoy the exploits and famous deductive skills of Ellery Queen on "The Adventure of the Vanishing Magician" from November 4, 1943.

The Old Time Radio Express follows Mr. Queen with the climax to "The Flight Six Matter" on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.  It's Part 5 of 5, from February 3, 1956.  YTJD would continue on radio for another six years, ending as the last dramatic program on the air on the day radio died - September 30, 1962.

Show #26 - Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show & Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

"What's a Rexall?"  Phil Harris wondered this on one of the early broadcasts of the Phil Harris-Alice Faye show, and you may be wondering too.  Find out in this Mother's Day episode of the Phil Harris-Alice Faye show, in which Phil enlists his buddy Remley to help buy Alice a present.

The second show on the Old Time Radio Express is episode 4 of 5 of "The Flight 6 Matter" on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.  Dollar chases the suspects to Acapulco, and may get into more than he bargains for.

Show #25 - The Lone Ranger & Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

If there's an old time radio show that needs no introduction, it's The Lone Ranger.  I would hazard a guess that even folks who don't know old time radio associate the strains of The William Tell Overture with that masked man and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto.

Every generation from the '30's have had their version of the Lone Ranger, starting with the radio show, then comics, television, movies, and even video games (yes, there was a 1991 video game.  And to see how sophisticated the game was, take a look at this screen shot:)

I would suspect that the Lone Ranger and Tonto will be revived for the big screen for this generation at some point in the near future.  Indeed, Hollywood is very "green" - they recycle concepts and scripts as often as possible.

Following Brace Beemer and John Todd in their roles as the Lone Ranger and Tonto, we listen to part 3 of the Flight Six Matter on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, with Bob Bailey starred as the title character.

Show #24 - Information, Please! & Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, part 2

This week on the Old Time Radio Express, we continue listening to "The Flight Six Matter" on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and listen to a 30 minute program of Information, Please!

I can think of no modern equivalent for Information, Please! on television.  It most reminds me of a program like the McLaughlin Group, a PBS show that I can remember my Grandpa Shelley watching regularly, but the only real similarity is that the show consists of a group of highly educated men sitting around discussing important things.  Information, Please! was a game-show of sorts, though, with the public submitting questions designed to stump the experts.  I don't know if the phenomenon of public interest in shows like Information, Please! and Quiz Kids - "high-brow" entertainment - has ever been duplicated.  These men on Information, Please! (Clifton Fadiman, Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran) were celebrities in their day.

On the Information, Please program on the OTR Express, guest Orson Welles joins the group with interesting results.

Our second program is the second installment of the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar matter, "The Flight Six Matter", with new events that lead Johnny deeper into the rabbit hole...Enjoy! 

Show #23 - The Great Gildersleeve & Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

This week, we listen to The Great Gildersleeve, one of OTR's best sitcoms, and a different take on the private detective genre, with Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

The Great Gildersleeve was bachelor Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, Water Commissioner of the fictional burg of Summerfield, who lived with his wards, nephew Leroy, niece Marjorie, and maid Birdy.  Birdy figures prominently into the plot of this episode, as Gildy tries to stir up some romance with his latest gal, a nurse. 

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is the story of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, the man with the action-packed expense account", Johnny Dollar.  As a freelance insurance investigator, Dollar was called around the globe to investigate phony-looking insurance claims, always getting caught up in some mystery or intrigue (usually with a beautiful woman involved). This week, we start part 1 (of 5) of The Flight Six Matter, with parts 2-5 to follow in the coming weeks.