Showing results by narrator "Old Time Radio" in All Categories

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.

Eve Arden stars as the tart-tongued Constance Brooks, a dedicated English teacher at Madison High School. Before and after the bell rings, Miss Brooks turns her thoughts from language to love. Indulging in her perpetual pursuit of bashful biology teacher Philip Boynton (Jeff Chandler), Connie finds herself making his favorite stew, conspiring to make him sick, and pretending to be his mother! She even considers compromising her principles (and her principal)!

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.

Fanny Brice described Snooks as “my kind of youngster, the type I like. She has imagination. She’s eager. She’s alive. With all her deviltry, she still is a good kid, never vicious nor mean”. Perhaps, but Daddy and Robespierre may beg to differ. Neither Daddy’s time, pet projects, nor peace of mind are safe from Snooks’ reliably relentless intrusions. As for how she treats her younger siblings and what she thinks of them...well, the fact that she tries to trade them for cats pretty much says it all!

A dive bar before dive bars were cool - that’s Duffy’s Tavern. Radio’s favorite Third Avenue watering hole was full of zany New York characters and A-list guest stars, all presided over by your genial master of malaproprial management, Archie himself (played to perfection by Ed Gardner)! Join the Tavern regulars Eddie the Waiter, Clifton Finnegan, and Miss Duffy - plus VIP visitors like Bing Crosby, Dennis Day, and Artie Shaw - for 16 laugh-packed episodes!

When last we left our pals from Pine Ridge, they were involved in considerable intrigue. They were receiving reports from the Masked Muskrat, threats from the Black Pelican, and a baby from a melancholy mother. The further adventures of Lum Edwards and Abner Peabody find them confounded by one commotion after another. At the Jot 'em Down Store, there is much bother about the baby, a mystery about a coat-of-arms, and mischief about ghosts, gunshots, and gold mines.

An unprepossessing little man in a sweatshirt and sneakers set the world of radio ablaze in the late 1930s with a startling new vision of what radio drama could be. Eight decades later, his work is still fresh, powerful, and brilliantly original.

In 1946, Life Magazine declared, "Dashiell Hammett's Fat Man is suave, witty, hardboiled and provides better than average radio entertainment." By 1948, The Fat Man was one of the top 10 shows on Friday nights, with more than six million listeners every week. And, starring as Brad Runyon, the "Fat Man" of the title, was J. Scott Smart, a 270-pound actor who sounded every pound the part.

Starring Irene Dunne as Susan and Fred MacMurray as George, together in Bright Star, a gay new exciting comedy adventure! 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.

Larry Thor, a staff announcer turned actor with an expressive and powerful voice, played the role of Detective Danny Clover. His beat was Broadway, and each week he narrated a new tale of nighttime drama along the Great White Way. Writers Morton Fine and David Friedkin delivered scripts of elegant intricacy that turned routine description into near poetry. Three soundmen worked in unison to create one of the densest soundscapes on radio - capturing the chaotic buzz of the New York night as a counterpoint to the music and dialogue. It was the most lyrical crime show on the air.

Widely acclaimed as the greatest writer-director-producer of the Golden Age of Radio, Norman Corwin perfected his own unique recipe for success: Begin with the human mind and knead gently; add a dash of poetry, wit and wonder; add a cup of raw passion and stir vigorously; garnish with sound effects, and marinate in a musical score. Season liberally with intelligence and digest slowly. Corwin’s works - musicals, fantasies, satires, and dramas - were presented on CBS in prestige series under his own direction.

Dennis Day is a sweet-singing, well-meaning, constantly bumbling young man residing in the sleepy little town of Weaverville. The misadventures of this guileless innocent turned loose in the world are a comic delight, full of outlandish situations and genuine charm. Francis "Dink" Trout costars as his landlord Mr. Anderson, along with Paula Winslowe and Bea Benaderet as the outspoken Mrs. Anderson, Sharon Douglas and Barbara Eiler as girlfriend Mildred, and John Brown as boss Homer Willoughby in 16 laugh-packed episodes.

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.

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.

In one corner...we have John Bickerson (played by Don Ameche and Lew Parker), the undisputed snoring champion of the world! In the other corner...we have Blanche Bickerson (played by Frances Langford and Marsha Hunt), radio's most relentless battle ax! Love conquers all? Well, we'll see about that. Listen in as radio's most contentious couple goes to the mat. The sleep-deprived are about to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous matrimony in this cutting comedy.

Henry Morgan was one of the most brilliant and unsung of the radio satirists. With his predilection for poking fun at radio conventions in general, and sponsors in particular, listeners took a shine to his breezy, don't-give-a-damn sarcasm. For a half-hour every week, Henry was allowed to unleash his biting wit on anything and everything, often in the form of parodies of movies and radio programs. He was aided and abetted by a cast that included Charles Irving, Madeline Lee, Florence Halop, Joe Julian, and the one and only Arnold Stang.

He's a real character! In fact, Red Skelton's a whole lot of real characters! He's Clem Kadiddlehopper and Sheriff Deadeye...he's Willie Lump-Lump and Cauliflower McPugg...and, of course, he's Junior The Mean Widdle Kid! Skelton's material is broad, his creations are wild, and his catch-phrases go straight for the breadbasket. Even his rehearsals - some of which are included in this collection - are stunningly silly. Join Red, Rod O'Connor, Pat McGeehan, Lurene Tuttle, Dick Ryan, and Martha Wentworth for eight hours of fast and furious fun!

One of the definitive detectives of American crime fiction comes to radio - with a matchless mind, a relentless eye for detail, and just a bit of an attitude. That's Philo Vance - S.S. Van Dine's famous amateur criminologist of the 1920s and 1930s, ready for radio in the 1940s. Jackson Beck stars as Vance, with Joan Alexander as secretary Ellen Deering, and George Petrie as District Attorney Markham in 16 mind-challenging mysteries!

Father Peyton of the Holy Cross Fathers wanted to inspire his country with a radio program. Footing the expense of the show himself, he arranged for some of the biggest names in radio and film to donate their services, and for a network to provide the broadcast time. The series that resulted featured heartwarming stories for audiences nationwide. The commercial breaks were filled only with an earnest, non-sectarian appeal for family prayer, reminding listeners that "The family that prays together stays together."

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.